MVNU (23-9) got off to a great start as the Cougars built a 14-4 lead by the 15:53 mark as senior guard Ben Falkenberg nailed a pair of three-pointers and junior post Bryce Sanborn (left) added four points.

After Sanborn picked up his second foul, the Bruins (23-8), who were ranked No. 22 in the final NAIA Division II poll and were the national runner-up last year, rattled off eight quick points to pull within 14-12 with 12:36 left in the half. Davon White completed a four-point play as the result of the Sanborn foul and Kyle Prochaska and Carlos Bravo added a basket each.

MVNU answered the 8-0 run with a 9-0 run of its own to push the lead up to 23-12 at the 10:33 mark after two treys by senior guard Dan Borcherdt and a three-point play by Falkenberg.

However, once again, Bellevue responded by pulling within 25-23 with 7:38 to play on a layup by Martell Nelson. The Cougars went just 1-for-5 from the field during that stretch.

MVNU extended the lead back out to 38-29 with 2:37 left before the break as senior forward Jadin Thomas nailed a three-pointer, two short jumpers, and a pair of free throws to lead the surge.

That would prove to be all the scoring for the Cougars in the half while the Bruins went on a 10-0 run and took their first lead of the game 39-38 on a jumper by Jace Fredenburg with three seconds left as Bellevue took that advantage to the locker room at the break.

Falkenberg and Thomas both scored 11 points apiece to lead MVNU, while Borcherdt added eight points. The Cougars shot 41.2 percent from the field (14-for-34), 38.5 percent from three-point range (5-for-13), and 83.3 percent from the free throw line (5-for-6).

Prochaska and White led the Bruins with eight points apiece in the first half, and Matt Imig tossed in seven points. Bellevue shot 51.7 percent from the field (15-for-29), 33.3 percent from three-point range (2-for-6), and 58.3 percent from the free throw line (7-for-12). The Bruins also posted a 22-16 rebounding advantage.

A pair of free throws by senior wing Andy Francis gave the Cougars a 40-39 lead to start the second half. However, Bellevue answered with a 7-1 run to go back on top 46-41 with just over two minutes gone by.

Holding a slim 55-52 advantage, the Bruins used a 9-1 run to get a little breathing room as their lead grew to 64-53 by the 10:14 mark. MVNU went 0-for-3 from the field and 1-for-3 from the free throw line with a turnover during this spurt.

The Cougars did not give in, but MVNU was unable to get any closer than six points the rest of the way as they went 0-for-6 from three-point range and Bellevue was able to post the 84-75 victory.

Falkenberg (right) finished with 21 points in the final game of his career as MVNU’s all-time leading scorer finishes with 2,616 points. Thomas added 17 points and five blocked shots in his final game, while Borcherdt tallied 15 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Sanborn contributed eight points and 13 rebounds, and Francis and senior forward Matt McKinley scored six and four points respectively to close out their careers. The Cougars shot just 40.0 percent from the field (26-for-65) and only 25.0 percent from three-point range (6-for-24) including 1-for-11 in the second half.

“Although the outcome of this game is tough right now, I know that later we will look back at this year and the last four years as a great era in Cougar basketball,” said MVNU coach Scott Flemming. “These five seniors have not only won a lot of games on the court - they are outstanding students and young men. They have definitely carried on our great tradition at MVNU.”

Prochaska led Bellevue with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while White added 14 points. Imig and Jerrod Tucker also scored 10 points apiece, and Ron King tallied nine points. The Bruins shot 50.0 percent from the field (32-for-64), 40.0 percent from three-point range (6-for-15), and 63.6 percent from the free throw line. They also out-rebounded MVNU 45-38 for the game.

The loss ends another successful season for MVNU which saw the team reach the 20-win mark for the 12th time in the past 13 years while also making the fourth straight trip to the NAIA Division II National Tournament and the program’s eighth trip overall.